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CCI: The "Rex Mundi"-Wide Web

This fall, the Inquisition returns to the web, as Arvid Nelson's alternate-history "Rex Mundi" once again brings an all-new story to life online, free of charge. As announced this past weekend at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the story, titled "Hill of Martyrs" and illustrated by Brian Churilla, will begin with fourteen pages in "Rex Mundi" #14 from Dark Horse and continue online in one-page installments three times per week for a total of 44 pages.

The first three pages will be available exclusively here on CBR, with the remaining installments published on darkhorse.com, including an additional three pages in the first week.

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Following up on our recent interview with Nelson on the final book of "Rex Mundi," CBR News again caught up with the writer to discuss the upcoming web comic.

This marks the second time a web-exclusive story has been incorporated into the larger world of "Rex Mundi." "The idea of a promotional web comic for 'Rex Mundi' was the brainchild of EricJ, my original partner," Nelson said. "And 'Brother Matthew' on rexmundi.net was a big success! It really helped 'Rex Mundi' #0 sell out so quickly. I immediately wrote a follow-up, but just then 'Rex Mundi' kicked into high gear. So this 'new' story, 'Hill of Martyrs,' has been languishing on my hard drive for about seven years!"

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"Hill of Martyrs" once again stars Brother Matthew, who is confronted with an unusual murder to solve."The mystery is set in a posh hotel in Paris. A servant girl of one of the guests is found brutally murdered one morning, but the trail of blood from her corpse abruptly stops at the door she was thrown out," Nelson told CBR, "The Inquisition is totally stumped, so they call in Brother Matthew. Matthew is a young inquisitor who's gathered a reputation as an exeptional sleuth in the countryside. It's his first case in Paris, and the stakes are high. A lot of high-ranking guests at the hotel are his suspects!"

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Nelson said that the web comic would run parallel to the main comic, but both stories can be enjoyed independently. "One of the best things about 'Hill of Martyrs' is that it has absolutely no connection to 'Rex Mundi,' aside from taking place in the same world," he said. "A few characters from 'Rex Mundi' will make cameos, but that's it. No prior experience necessary." The "Hill of Martyrs" story will eventually be collected in the sixth and final "Rex Mundi" trade paperback.

The first chapter of "Hill of Martyrs" will be available August 20, exclusively on CBR.